Let Me Fall
by EmilyandPixie
Summary: What if instead of leaving after the disaster on Bella's birthday, the Cullens discover that she is actually Jasper's mate? Sucky summary...
1. Chapter 1

BELLA'S POV

One second I cut my finger opening a present, and the next thing I know, I'm laying in shattered glass. Only instead of seeing Edward in front of me, it's Jasper who's crouched in front of me protectively. He was even growling. The others all backed off. Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme all left. I guess the smell of blood was getting to them. However, Alice, Edward, and Carlisle remained. Carlisle started towards us, making Jasper growl again.

"Jasper, she's hurt. I need to help her. I promise I wont take her from you." Carlisle said. Okay, I was beyond confused by this point. Jasper stood slowly and turned to me. Instead of his eyes being black like thirsty vampires, they were still golden.

"What on earth is going on?" I asked.

"I'll explain after Carlisle patches you up, lil darlin'." Jasper replied. He allowed Carlisle to take me to the kitchen and deal with the wound.

"Carlisle, what is going on? I'm confused." I asked quietly.

"I think Edward and Jasper need to be the ones to explain it to you. This is going to need stitches; do you want me to take you to the hospital or do it here?" Carlisle asked.

"I guess here. I wouldn't want Charlie to freak out." I replied. We sat in silence and soon all of the glass was out of my arm and my arm was stitched.

"Okay, boys, she's ready for you to come explain." Carlisle said. Edward and Jasper walked in, with Alice on their heels. "I'll give you four some privacy for this." Carlisle went outside.

"What happened in there?" I asked.

"Well, Bella, it seems Jasper found his mate." Alice said, smiling at me.

"But what about you? And Edward?" I asked.

"I saw this coming. And I told Edward. We both knew it was going to happen as of a few weeks ago. We just didn't tell anyone else." Alice replied.

"And you're okay with it?" I asked.

"It's not easy, Bella, but who am I to deny Jasper his mate?" Edward said.

"And I always knew Jasper wasn't my true mate." Alice replied. I was still really confused.

"Well if I'm his mate, how come he never knew until today?" I asked. Alice and Edward looked pointedly at Jasper before leaving the room.

"I never knew until today, because you were never truely in danger until today. Mates often don't know until it comes to a point where they feel the need to protect them." Jasper replied.

"But the time with James, I was in danger." I said.

"You were never in danger of dying, just in danger of being changed." Jasper replied.

"So now what?" I asked.

"Now, it's up to you sweetheart. Obviously your feelings for Edward won't disappear suddenly, you're only human after all. So I'm assuming you need time before even considering this." Jasper replied.

"Is he really okay with this?" I asked.

"He is. I talked to him while Carlisle was patchin you up." Jasper replied. "And Alice told him she sees his mate coming in a few months, which really helped."

"Good. He deserves happiness." I said. "So about this mate thing...how's it work?"

"Well lil darlin', all I know is what I've seen with the three pairs of mates I've been around. I suppose the best way to explain it is we're emotionally tied, and being away from each other will make us uneasy. But I'll be able to sense if you're in danger, no matter how far from you I am. And if someone took you from me, or something was to ever happen to you, it would destroy me. My world revolves around you now, and whatever you need or want is yours. And I'll also be very jealous of any males near you. Once I mark you as mine, which I will NOT do until you tell me you want me to, I should calm down instead of being edgy when other males are around." he replied. I sat there thinking for a moment.

"And if I deny you?" I asked. Hurt flashed through his eyes but he quickly got his mask of calmness back.

"I'd accept it because it's what you want, but it would be torture. However, I will wait for you. I'm not gonna push you into being with me. I understand you probably need time." he replied. I got up and hugged him.

"Thanks, Jasper." I said, looking down. He put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed lightly.

"Lets get your presents loaded and I'll take you home. I'll have Alice follow in your truck, but I don't think you'll quiet be able to drive until the numbing medicine wears off." Jasper said. We went outside and joined all the others.

"I'm takin her home. Alice, can you follow in her truck? I don't think its wise to let her try driving herself." Jasper said. The others all looked at him.

"Of course." Alice replied.

"Bye, Bella." Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie called.

"Bye, Bells. Don't trip and hurt yourself any worse." Emmett laughed. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Bella, if it's alright I'd like to get you tomorrow and talk on the way to school." Edward said, looking at Jasper the whole time. I realized that now, he had to have Jasper's permission to do anything with me.

"It's alright, I reckon. Not that I like it." Jasper said beside me. Edward nodded. We went back inside and Jasper grabbed all my presents and put them in my truck before handing me a helmet. I looked at him questioningly before he led me to their garage. I understood immediately when he stopped in front of a beautiful motorcycle.

"Charlie's gonna flip when he sees this." I muttered.

"Which is why tomorrow I'm going to go buy a truck." Jasper said, smiling down at me. He got on and I got on behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist to feel more secure.

Minutes later we whipped into my driveway. Alice was helping the others before coming over in my truck. Jasper followed me to the door, obviously intending on speaking to my dad. Charlie was sitting at the table when we came in, and a look of shock came over his face when he saw it was Jasper beside me instead of Edward. The instant he saw the bandage on my arm, he started freaking out.

"Bella, what happened? Why didn't you call and tell me you were hurt?" Charlie asked.

"Dad, relax. I tripped and fell into the table with the plates on it. Carlisle took care of it for me though." I replied. "Oh, and this is Jasper, Edward's adoptive brother."

"Nice to meet you sir. I thought I should bring her home, Carlisle numbed her arm before cleaning and stitching it. I didn't think she would be able to drive very well. Alice is bringing her truck by in a few minutes." Jasper said, shaking Charlie's hand.

"Thank you for bringing her home. But if you don't mind me asking, why didn't Edward bring her?" Charlie asked.

"Edward and I broke up, dad." I said.

"Did he hurt you?" Charlie asked, his face suddenly darkening.

"No, dad! It was a...mutual agreement that we needed to just be friends. We want different things in life, is all." I replied. Jasper put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. I suddenly heard my truck pull into the driveway.

"That's Alice. I best be going so I can drive her home. It was nice meeting you sir, and Bella if you need anything you know you can call me and talk." Jasper said before leaving.

"Bells...that boy likes you." Charlie said. I blushed and followed his gaze to the door.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"Just the way he looked at you. Like he adores you and would do anything in the world for you. Is he why you and Edward broke up?"

"Sort of. But I'm not dating him, dad, relax. Edward could see he really liked me and said he couldn't be with someone Jasper was so crazy over. But Jasper told me that he knows I need time before I get with someone. Edward was my first boyfriend." I replied.

"I think I'm going to like him a lot better." Charlie said. I smiled.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, dad. Its been a long day." I said.

"Night Bells. Love you." Charlie said, hugging me. I went up the stairs and got ready for bed before curling up.

Now that he was gone, I knew what Jasper meant about feeling uneasy being apart from each other. I was jittery and I knew I wouldn't easily sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

JASPER'S POV

"Make sure you treat her good." Edward said.

"You know I will." I said quietly. I knew that he was hurt even though he had known this would happen. I had been back from dropping Bella off for an hour and the whole family was sitting in the living room. My phone started going off.

"Hello.." I said, answering it.

"Jasper, can you come back? I can't sleep when I feel like this." Bella asked softly on the other end.

"Of course. I'll be there in a few minutes, darlin." I replied.

"Thank you." she said before hanging up. The others all watched me.

"She already feeling uneasy without you around?" Emmett asked. I nodded before going to the garage to get my bike.

"Put the bike in the woods so her dad doesn't see. He gets up around six and gets her up at six thirty to get ready for school. Sometimes the time varies though. Be careful. And she needs to be wrapped up in the quilts at the bottom of her bed if you lay next to her." Edward said, following me. "I'll be there to pick her up at seven thirty. Charlie leaves at ten til seven."

"Thanks." I replied, truely grateful for the information. I rushed over to Bella's house. Once I was within half a mile of the house, I turned my bike off and walked it the rest of the way, carefully putting it in the woods out of eyesight so Charlie wouldn't find it.

I realized then that I had no clue which room was Bella's. There was no noise in the house except for heavy snores, and I knew they weren't Bella's so they must have been her father's. I quietly went inside and crept up the stairs, knowing that Edward had always jumped in through a window so she must have a second story room. There were two rooms with a bathroom in the middle. I entered the one that didn't have snores coming out of it.

Bella flew into my arms as soon as I got her door shut. I could feel the relief and calmness flush over her body. I guess she had really been freaking out.

"Thank you so much for coming. I'm sorry I called though." She said quietly.

"It's ok, lil darlin'. I told you to call if you needed anything. This is included in everything." I replied. She got back into bed and wrapped up in a blanket. I sat at the foot of her bed, not wanting to get any closer than what she was comfortable with.

"Can you lay with me? At least until I fall asleep please?" she asked timidly, giving off waves of fear.

"Of course. I told you, anything you want." I replied, taking my boots off and moving to lay next to her. She reached over me and turned her lamp off before snuggling into me. I gently put an arm around her.

"Jasper?" Bella asked a few minutes later.

"Mhm..."

"What did it feel like for you when you were away?" she asked.

"Well darlin, I'm assuming it affected me stronger than it did you since vampires' emotions are generally stronger. All I wanted to do was turn around and race back to you, and when I got home I couldn't quit pacing." I replied. She snuggled into me more and yawned.

BELLA'S POV

"Well darlin', I'm assuming it affected me stronger than it did you since vampire's emotions are generally stronger. All I wanted to do was turn around and race back to you, and when I got home I couldn't quit pacing." Jasper replied. I snuggled into him and yawned. He nuzzled my neck and slightly tightened his arms around me. It wasn't long before I drifted to sleep.

When dad woke me up the next morning, I realized Jasper was gone from my side. It didn't quiet feel right to not have him beside me. As soon as dad shut the door though, Jasper was beside me again.

"Wouldn't want your father catching me in your bed." He said, smirking. I laughed quietly and gathered what I would need before going to the bathroom.

After I was done getting ready for the day, I went down stairs. I knew dad would be gone, but I wasn't expecting what greeted me in the kitchen. Jasper was surrounded by food, all of which looked delicious but was more than I could ever eat.

"I thought you'd like breakfast but wasn't sure how much or what you'd want, darlin." Jasper explained. I smiled.

"Thanks, Jasper. It all looks great but its more than I could ever eat." I replied. I sat at the table and ate as much as I could, so not to hurt his feelings. Once I was done eating, we put the leftovers in bowls and put them in the fridge.

"Well, darlin, my brother is going to be here in a minute to take you to school." Jasper said, watching me from the sink. I frowned slightly.

"Are you sure he's alright with this?" I asked.

"He understands you can't help who your mate is. He may be hurt, but he will eventually be over it and happy with his own mate." Jasper replied. At that moment, Edward pulled up. Jasper walked outside with me.

"Call me when you get home and I'll come over, darlin. Have a good day at school." Jasper said, hugging me and kissing the top of my head before disappearing. Edward helped me into his car before driving.

"I'm sorry you got hurt last night." Edward said.

"It's alright."

"If I had known you were his mate, I never would have been with you, Bella. I would have done my best to get you with him." he said quietly.

"I know. He said you were alright with it." I said.

"I did love you Bella, and I still do, but I'm not in the position to refuse Jasper his mate. And Alice said I'd find my mate in a few months. Besides, Jasper will work better for you. He can keep you protected better than I ever good, and he'll do whatever it takes to make you happy." Edward replied. I dropped the mate conversation and just made idle chat the rest of the way to school.

Alice was waiting for us in the parking lot. We walked in to school together, but I pulled away from them and went my own way once we were inside. I didn't really want to be around either of them until I cleared my head and thought about things. I knew that it wasn't either of their faults, but I wish they would have said something sooner so I wouldn't have had feelings for Ewdard like I did. That's what was making all of this so confusing.

I had a hard time concentrating all day in class. The uneasy feeling was back and I couldn't handle it. I was jumpy, and as soon as the final bell rang, I darted out to Alice's car. I'd rather ride with her than Edward, and I knew Jasper didn't truely like Edward being alone with me.

"Hey, Bella...you know I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt or anything by not telling everyone that you were Jasper's mate, right?" Alice asked once we were heading to my house.

"Of course, Alice. But why didn't you tell us sooner? Maybe then I wouldn't have cared this much about Edward and I wouldn't have to be making Jasper wait for me." I asked.

"Well...I had a vision that if I told you, you'd think I was just after Edward and you'd quit coming around the family and then you and Jasper would never really know. So I had to let things play out. I hope you're not angry with me, Bella." Alice replied.

"I'm not mad at you, Alice. I just wish we would have found out before I was with Edward that way I wouldn't be dealing with conflicting emotions right now." I said.

"I understand. And Jasper seems to be very understanding of the fact that you can't just lose your feelings for Edward just like that. He'll wait as long as it takes, Bella, but please don't string him along for months just because you know you can." Alice said.

"I'd never do that to him. I would just feel bad if I was with him while still having feelings for someone else as well. And I still need time to wrap my head around everything that has happenend." I replied. "Thanks for the ride, Alice." I said, getting out of the car as we were at my house.

"You're welcome, Bella. And I don't think you have to worry about calling Jazz. Looks like he's already here." she said, nodding to the black truck next to the house. I waited until she pulled out of the driveway before going inside.

"Hey, darlin." Jasper's southern drawl greeted me as soon as I walked inside. I instantly felt better now that I was around him.

"Hey yourself." I said, smiling.

"How was school?" he asked.

"Slow and boring. I just wanted to get out of there." I replied. He wrapped his arms around me, being careful not to touch my hurt arm.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Jasper's pov

I slowly made my way over to Bella's house, knowing that it would still be a good twenty minutes at least before she made it home. It was a couple of months since the birthday party, and everything was great. We weren't exactly together yet, but I could feel her emotions slowly changing from confused and guilt-ridden at not being the one for Edward, to love towards me. Alice had told me it wouldn't be a lot longer, for which I was glad. Don't get me wrong, I'd happily wait as long as Bella needed me to, but the thought of finally being with my mate was exciting.

Charlie was surprisingly home from work early when I got there. I smiled at that. We had surprisingly gotten close during the past two months. Bella was shocked at that, considering he had hated Edward. I went up to the door and knocked, not wanting to just barge in like I owned the place.

"Hey, Jasper." Charlie said, opening the door grinning.

"Hey. I was coming over to get Bella, but I guess I'm a little early." I laughed.

"Well come in. You can watch the movie with me, or eat or something." Charlie said. I smiled and followed him to the living room. I had actually taken to eating a little bit of human food when I was over, so that he wouldnt suspect anything. Bella always looked guilty when we ate over at her house, knowing that human food wasn't exactly pleasant for me.

"So when are you planning on getting with my daughter? You two obviously care about each other a lot." Charlie asked. I looked over at him, pretending to be shocked that he asked.

"I'm not sure, Charlie. I'm waiting until she says something. After all, she was with my brother and cared for him a lot. I'm letting her have time to be ready for another relationship." I replied.

"I never did like Edward. He was all wrong for her. She never came right out and said it, but I feel like he sort of dictated her life the whole time they were together." Charlie mumbled.

"I know he did. But I promise I wont do that to her. I'm much different than Edward is." I replied. He nodded. I heard Bella's ancient truck pull into the driveway. I had tried talking her into letting me buy her a new, or at least newer, truck but she absolutely refused.

"Hey dad, hey Jasper. I didn't think you'd be here already." She said, coming through the door. "Give me ten minutes, and I'll be ready to go."

BELLA'S POV

Once in my room, I looked in my closet. I knew that I didn't need to dress up for Jasper, but I wanted to be pretty for tonight. I was finally ready to be with him, and I didn't want to be dressed in battered jeans and a hoodie like I currently was when I told him that. I turned around and realized for the first time that there was a box on my bed. Knowing who it was from, I silently thanked God and opened it.

I sighed quietly when I saw what the box contained, but I knew Alice would be absolutely livid if I didnt wear it. Ten minutes later, I was walking down the stairs with natural looking makeup, a black dress with roses scattered on it, and a pair of cowgirl boots. I had left my hair down.

"Geez, Bells. Never thought I'd see you in a dress." Dad said when I entered the living room.

"Alice insisted." I explained, making a slight face. Charlie knew from experience that it was impossible to tell Alice no.

"I'll have her home by eleven." Jasper said to Charlie before leading me out to his truck.

"So, where are we going?" I asked once we pulled out of the driveway.

"Window shopping in the city, then dinner, then I thought I'd let you pick the next thing we do." Jasper replied, smiling at me. We talked a little on the way to the city, but we were quiet for the most part. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a content silence. He parked the truck in front of one of the many antique shops, which was our normal starting point whenever we'd make an outting of window shopping.

While we were walking, I reached over and took his hand. He seemed mildly shocked at the gesture. It was the first time I had initiated any contact since he'd admitted to me being his mate. I looked up at him and saw he had raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm ready." I explained quietly. Jasper leaned down and kissed me gently before pulling away and grinning widly.

"It's about time, darlin." He laughed.

"Sorry I made you wait so long." I whispered.

"It's alright. I told you I would wait as long as you needed me to. Did you really think I would go back on that?" Jasper asked.

"Not at all. I just feel bad for making you wait that long to be with me after we found out we were mates." I replied.

"Well, I'm glad I don't have to wait anymore. But I would have waited as long as you needed me to, even if it had been years, darlin'." We started walking down the sidewalk again, both of us grinning like mad and holding hands. I noticed there was a slight bounce in Jasper's step that hadn't been there before. I truely felt guilty about making him wait but I knew that he deserved all of my heart, not having to be with me while I still had feelings for his adoptive brother.

JASPER'S POV

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out. I had an idea of what the message contained already, but I went ahead and read it anyways.

_I told you she wouldn't need much longer._

_-Alice-_

I didn't answer, knowing the little pixie of a vampire most likely had already seen that I wouldn't answer her. Bella looked at me questioningly when I put my phone up without answering.

"Alice." I explained. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew what I meant immediately. After getting to know her, it was very easy to predict what Alice would do.

"Charlie will be happy about this." Bella said. I laughed at how one of her first thoughts after us getting together was how her father would be happy about it. I shouldn't have been surprised, considering Bella always seemed to think about others before herself, but it still caught me off guard.

"Yes, he will be very happy about this lil darlin'. He was asking me earlier when I planned on getting with you." I replied.

"Shouldn't father's normally be appalled at the thought of their little girl being with someone? He seems to be pushing me towards you." she laughed.

"Well, most fathers also aren't around their daughter's boyfriends until after they get together. He's had time to actually get to know me instead of being introduced as your boyfriend immediately upon meeting me." I replied.

"Right." she said. We were silent for a while. Her stomach started growling.

"Food time for the human?" I asked, laughing. She blushed but nodded slightly. I led her down the sidewalk to one of her favorite restaurants, although she'd never admit to it being her favorite because of the price.

"Jazz...I was perfectly fine with something simple like McDonalds or something. You didn't have to bring me here." She complained when we reached our destination.

"Don't think that I haven't noticed this seems to be your favorite place to eat at darlin." I said.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

A few hours later, we were sitting in her room. I had driven home and snuck back in through her window after I was sure that Charlie had went to bed so he wouldn't be checking on her any more that night. We laid on her bed talking for a few minutes before my phone lit up. I groaned but picked it up to read the text anyway.

"_Edward's mate is going to make an appearance in the morning. Have Bella here, but make sure to stay with her. His mate isn't going to be fond of her at all. But she needs to be there so she'll know she's with us and that she can't eat her._

_-Alice"_

"Is everything alright?" Bella asked, picking up on my sudden mood change.

"Perfectly fine, darlin'." I lied, not wanting her to worry. I knew she could tell I wasn't telling the truth, but she didn't push it any further. She snuggled into me more and tilted her head up. Sensing what she wanted, I kissed her gently. She smiled up at me when I pulled back.I tucked the blanket around us to try to give her a little warmth.

BELLA'S POV

The next morning, I woke and found that Jasper wasn't beside me. I knew he was probably just gone to get his truck so I showered and got ready for the morning. Not knowing what he had planned for the day, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark red long sleeve shirt. I ate a bowl of cereal and waited in the living room for Jasper to come back. I had only been waiting a couple of minutes before I heard his truck pull up. He walked in, and I could instantly tell he was worried.

"We're going over to my house, but whatever you do stay by me." Jasper said, rushing me out the door.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked.

"Edward's mate is making her appearance, and Alice said she isn't going to like you but wouldn't say why. She did say that you need to be there before her so that she will see you're part of the family and through that, that you're untouchable." Jasper replied. He sped towards the Cullen's house.

"We've only got a couple of minutes, Jasper. We're not going to have much time to make her smell more like a vampire." Alice said as soon as we walked in.

"There's gotta be something we can do, Alice. If she's going to be as hostile as you said, we have to do something to mask Bella's scent as much as we can. Or at least show that she can't hunt her." Jasper growled.

"Carlisle?" Alice asked. The blonde vampire appeared within seconds.

"The only thing that will promise her safety is turning her into a vampire, Jasper. And I'm aware you want to wait to do that. The only other thing that might work would be binding her to you." Carlisle said after thinking for a moment.

"Carlisle you said yourself that it would hurt her. I'm not doing that to her." Jasper said.

"What would hurt me?" I asked, very confused.

"Binding you to me. I'm not putting you through that unless we wind up absolutely having to." Jasper replied.

"Just keep her behind you." Alice said quietly. "She's coming now." The whole family went out into the yard, waiting for the new vampire's appearance. I felt Jasper stiffen by my side and he moved in front of me defensively. I peeked around his arm and saw a flash of bright red hair. I instantly knew why Alice had said she wouldn't like me, and why Jasper was being so defensive.

Victoria stopped in front of us. She locked eyes with Edward and moved into a submissive position. Jasper took advantage of her being distracted and lifted me up, running back into the house. He sat me down on the bed in his room and zipped towards Esme and Carlisle's room. Within seconds he was back with new clothes for me to put on.

"It'll mask your scent a little bit." He explained.

"Jasper, she already knows I'm a human." I said. "There's no point in me changing into Esme's clothes." He growled at me but didn't press it. We watched through the window. Victoria was wound around Edward and it appeared that she was talking to the others.

"Jasper, bring Bella down." Edward hollered, looking up at the window.

"I promise I won't let her touch you." Jasper whispered as we walked down to the yard. He put an arm around me and assumed a possessive stance as Victoria looked over at us.

"The pet is still here?" Victoria asked, her eyes narrowing in anger. She clearly wasn't over her coven being split over me.

"She's. Not. A. Pet." Jasper growled.

"Well she's a human. What else would she be to a coven of vampires?" Victoria asked. "A servant?"

"Bella is Jasper's mate. It was discovered on her birthday a couple of months ago. Through Jasper, she's part of the family." Carlisle said. Victoria didn't say anything, but continued glaring at me. I shrunk more against Jasper's side.

"I'm aware that you're most likely still upset with what happened because of Bella in the spring, but she's a part of this family and you will NOT touch her. You don't have to be buddy buddy with her, but you won't harm my daughter." Esme said calmly.

"I'm accostumed to hunting humans. So it might be wise to keep her away from me." Victoria said.

"I'm not banishing my mate from the house just for you. She was here first, and if you touch one hair on her head I don't care if you're Edward's mate or not, I'll burn you alive." Jasper snapped. Before I even had a chance to blink there was a sound of two bolders slamming into each other and Jasper was suddenly not beside me. I looked to see who had crashed into him, but they were a blurr. I was suddenly jerked back. I looked up and saw that Emmett had pulled me away from the blurr of fighting vampires. I noticed Edward was no longer beside of Victoria and knew that he had attacked Jasper for threatening his mate.

"You don't want to be anywhere near them, Bella. Body parts will be flying soon and it would hurt you if you got hit with one." Emmett explained.

"They won't kill each other, will they?" I asked.

"Normally they wouldn't, but Edward probably saw Jasper's comment as a threat to his mate so there's no telling how far they'll take it. Vampires get very protective if they think their mate is in harm." Carlisle replied.

"Come on, Bella. We're going inside. You really don't need to be around this." Esme said softly, tugging me towards the house. I followed her into the kitchen.

"I know you've probably ate already, but Jasper would kill me if I let you go into shock dear. You don't have to eat a lot, just drink a soda and have some crackers or something to get some sugar into your system." Esme said, making me sit at the table. I did as she said while she watched the fight through the window.

"Will he be ok, Esme?" I asked.

"Jasper fought in the vampiric wars in Texas for decades, Bella. He's more than capable of holding his own. Edward's ability to read minds should keep him from getting fatily injured. And any body parts that they lose can be put back on." she replied. The fight continued for the better part of an hour before Jasper finally slung Edward against a tree, making Edward snap out of his fury long enough to realize what was happening. I was horrified to see that Jasper was missing his left arm, but calmed slightly when I remembered what Esme had said about limbs being able to be reattached. Edward looked worse off.

Esme and I went outside as Carlisle rushed to repair their injuries. Victoria wrapped herself around Edward in a way that was most definitely not appropriate considering the rest of us were right there. After Jasper's arm was reattached he headed over to me. Once he was close up, I could see several bite marks oozing venom. I reached up and touched a particular bite on his cheek, causing him to hiss in pain. I jerked my hand back and apologized.

"It's ok, darlin'. It'll heal in a couple of hours." Jasper said. He reached down and took my hand gently.

"Edward, all of us are going hunting. We'll be back in the morning." Carlisle said. I looked up at Jasper.

"I'm not going, Bella." Jasper said quietly, understanding my unspoken question immediatly. "We're just going to avoid the house for a couple of days. I'll explain later." He led me to the truck and we left.

"Why is everyone leaving the house until tomorrow?" I asked.

"Because Edward and Victoria are going to be busy sealing the mating bond, and no one wants to be around for that." Jasper replied. I felt my face turn bright red, causing him to laugh.

"So...what are we doing the rest of the day?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Well, I thought we could ride around for a while and then go get food, and head back to your house. There's not a lot I can do until the bites heal. Even humans will notice the venom oozing out of them." he replied.


End file.
